“Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ” (Romans 1:5-6).
Romans 1:5 features a rather humble acknowledgment from the Apostle Paul. You see, Paul did not view his role as an apostle as one that would permit him to lord his authority over others. Instead, he received that authority to serve a higher purpose: to bring about the “obedience of faith” (CSB) among those who were also called of Jesus Christ.
This reference to the “obedience of faith” is an interesting turn of phrase. The first element is obedience, a word that refers to an act of compliance or submission. (1) The second is faith, or a conviction regarding the truth of something. (2) This word-picture implies that genuine faith should lead us to act in obedience to God and His Word. The New Testament epistle of 1 John builds upon this idea in practical terms…
“Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” (1 John 2:4-6).
As Jesus also told His disciples, “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15 NIV). The underlying principle is that those who adhere to Jesus’ commandments show their love for Him and demonstrate the reality of their faith.
Verse six then concludes with a reference to “Jesus Christ.” Although some mistakenly interpret “Jesus Christ” as a first and last name, it is not a name in the conventional sense. Let’s begin with “Jesus.” Jesus is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew name Joshua. “Joshua” means, “Yahweh (God’s covenant name) (3) saves” or, “The Lord is salvation.” In its basic form, the word “salvation” conveys the idea of “deliverance” and refers to God’s liberation of human beings from their state of separation from Him. So, Jesus’ name embodies the core message of deliverance or salvation from our state of separation from God.
Next is the word “Christ.” This word is derived from the Greek term “Christos” and refers to the Messiah or “Anointed One.” It served to identify the redeemer of the Jewish people, the One who would save them from their enemies. So, a more accurate view of this phrase would be to say that “Jesus” is a name, while “Christ” identifies His title or office.
(1) G5218 – hypakoe – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (kjv). (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g5218/kjv/tr/0-1/
(2) G4102 – pistis – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (kjv). (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4102/kjv/tr/0-1/
(3) See Stewart, D. (2020, June 9). Why is God called Yahweh? Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/stewart_don/faq/the-attributes-of-god-that-belong-to-him-alone/22-why-is-god-called-yahweh.cfm